Carolan’s series was commissioned by Dunphy’s wife Jane Gogan, but the two know each other for many years, with Carolan having worked with Dunphy 16 years ago on Today FM show The Last Word.

“Eamon is a punk, he is a rebel, he is the Lenny Bruce of journalism, but above all else Eamon is a family man,” Carolan told the assembled crowd which included famous faces of football, television and the arts.

Dunphy gave special mention to Coulter saying that while the title The Rocky Road was a tribute to Luke Kelly, that Kelly had much preferred singing Coulter’s Scorn Not His Simplicity and The Town I Loved So Well.

Dunphy also thanked his family whom he said he was lucky to have “cos I’m a bit of an eejit”.